Anyone else really looking forward to this game against Buffalo. The problem the last few weeks has been with starting fast but you know Brady will still have his last performance against Buffalo(worst of the year) fresh in his mind and will look to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Teams have been really focusing in on Gronk recently and it's left Welker and Hernandez particularly more open than normal but I'd love to see Brady get the ball to Gronk more now going into the playoffs, especially in the redzone. We're going to be playing better defenses than Miami and Buffalo in the playoffs and I want the redzone offense to be firing on all cylinders going in

That's because MCL sprains come in 3 grades: 1, 2, and 3. If it were 3 - Mankins (and every other NFL player) would be on IR right now. If it were grade 2, he'd probably be IR'd as well because the best case scenario for return would probably be the Super Bowl week.

A reasonable grade 1 sprain can take a week to fully heal as long as you stay off of it and treat it properly. NE doesn't need to win this game to be in good position. Just a bye is helpful. The home field advantage stuff is just icing on the cake, worst case scenario.

Well, if Pittsburgh is the #1 seed, that might be an advantage for the Pats with how they've performed, historically, in Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

It's crazy to me that this team is fighting for (and likely to clinch) the number 1 seed in the AFC. With a D that gives up yards hand over fist to scrubs like Orvlovsky and VY, and Brady looking like he is sleeping through sections of games at a time, the Patriots are looking like they'll have homefield throughout.

Now we just have to hope they can show up for the playoff games this year.

It's crazy to me that this team is fighting for (and likely to clinch) the number 1 seed in the AFC. With a D that gives up yards hand over fist to scrubs like Orvlovsky and VY, and Brady looking like he is sleeping through sections of games at a time, the Patriots are looking like they'll have homefield throughout.

Now we just have to hope they can show up for the playoff games this year.

I say this very carefully and with lots of trepidation, the Patriots are one of only about 3 or 4 teams who can win a game in one quarter. If the offense hits its stride and the defense makes one or two stops the Pats can realistically have a 21 point swing in one quarter. Look at the Miami game. At 17-0 at the half most teams are dead and buried. Then 27 unanswered points.

They can't afford to play like this in the playoffs though. They need fast starts on offense to make teams chase the game and they need to close teams out. If we are up 10 in the third quarter we need to score another TD to put the game to rest because I don't trust this defense in any quarter let alone the 4th.

This season is totally weird. This team could be 13-3 and when you look at the 3 losses, you could attribute at least 1 and maybe 2 of them to the offense, yet the defense is the suspect side of the ball.

(@Buffalo was definitely a day Brady would like to have back and the Pittsburgh game was one where the offense was never in sync. You could even argue that the NYG game was won [or at least could have been] except a dumb penalty by Sergio Brown)

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I was gone for 2 months doing things I can't talk about. It might happen again, but that's just the nature of what I do and who I am.

Does anybody else get the feeling that the Jets are going to somehow find a way to sneak into the playoffs this week? It would be quite typical of them to pull it off.

I said that a while back and everybody kind of dismissed it, but it looks like it well could be happening. My money is on them beating Miami(although I'm certainly not rooting for them to do so) and then the Bengals, Titans, and Broncos losing. Under that scenario, they get in along with Oakland.

Great to see both Spikes and Chung back in the active lineup today. Nice to get them some playing time then the week off next week because no matter who we face in two weeks they can run the ball well and those two guys are two of the more important run defenders

I'm rooting against Spikes playing. Fletcher has looked good against everyone aside from Denver. He might not be the clogger that Spikes is, but he's shown up and made some plays in the backfield. He's not a liability in coverage like Spikes is either.

I'm rooting against Spikes playing. Fletcher has looked good against everyone aside from Denver. He might not be the clogger that Spikes is, but he's shown up and made some plays in the backfield. He's not a liability in coverage like Spikes is either.

Hey as long as Tracey White doesn't see the field in the playoffs except for special teams I'm happy

I actually have to give it to White a little bit; he hasn't embarrassed himself in coverage. I hold my breath every time he's out there, but he hasn't been god awful aside from some mistakes early. I'll take that from a 5th string guy. I sure as **** hope he doesn't play defensive snaps anymore either, but yeah. Certainly wasn't as bad as Slater was at safety. Watching him try to tackle guys head on was pretty rough.

It will be legitimately good to see Chung out there. I just wish we could have gotten him back earlier. It's always a bit nerve racking trying to work a guy back into the lineup one week before the playoffs. A bye week doesn't help either.